Grid-scale solar, rooftop PV, wind and batteries have all hit new quarterly records.
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report shows that in the first three months of 2025, renewable energy provided 43 per cent of supply to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
This is the highest first-quarter share for renewables in the NEM’s 25-year history.
That uplift was driven by new capacity coming online and improved availability across variable renewable energy sources:
- Grid-scale solar generation rose 10 per cent year-on-year to average 2,386 MW
- Wind generation increased by 18 per cent to 3,517 MW
- Distributed (rooftop) PV surged 16 per cent to a record average of 3,782 MW
- Battery output also grew sharply, up 86 per cent to an average of 98 MW, reflecting increased commissioning of storage assets
These gains helped push operational emissions in the NEM to their lowest Q1 level on record, down 5.1 per cent to 27.4 Mt CO₂-e. Emissions intensity fell to 0.59 tCO₂-e/MWh.
Wholesale electricity prices averaged $83/MWh across the NEM, up 9 per cent on the same period last year. However, price volatility declined, with fewer extreme pricing events. Queensland was the only region to record a price drop year-on-year, largely due to increased solar output and milder weather.
“Renewables will keep breaking records and Australia’s wholesale electricity market will continue to become cleaner and more reliable,” said Climate Council energy expert Greg Bourne.
Gas demand fell 2 per cent, even as east coast gas prices rose to a record $13.26/GJ for Q1.